Bracelet linkage with detachable link assemblies



4 Sheets-Sheet l E. RODRIGUEZ BRACELET LINKAGE WITH DETACHABLE LINK ASSEMBLIES w-i i-7 Oct. 24, 1967 Filed April 17, 1964 INVENTOR fM/z POOR/6052 AFTOKA/[YS Oct. 24, 1967 E. RODRIGUEZ 3,348,372

I BRACELET LINKAGE WITH DETACHABLE LINK ASSEMBLIES Filed April 17, 1964 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR A-W/L ROOF/6052 Oct 2 1967 E. RODRIGUEZ BRACELET LINKAGE WITH DETACHABLE LINK ASSEMBLIES Filed April 17, 1964 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR. {FM/L ROOF/GU52 United States Patent York Filed Apr. 17, 1964, Ser. No. 363,048 11 Claims. (Cl. 59-79) The present invention relates to a bracelet linkage with detachable link assemblies, and to the structure of said detachable link assemblies.

This application is a continuation-in-part of my pending patent application Ser. No. 220,170, filed Aug. 29, 1962, now abandoned, and entitled, Expansible Bracelet Linkage With Detachable Link Assemblies, which is assigned to the assignee of this application.

Bracelets, and particularly resiliently expansible bracelets, are in widespread use, particularly in connection with watches. Such bracelets are designed to retain a watch snugly on the users hand. For reasons of appearance it is often desired that the bracelet have a minimal thickness, and this presents problems in design and construction if the bracelet is to have sufiicient strength and reliability. One type of telescoping expansible linkage which satisfies these requirements of thinness, strength and dependability is shown in copending application of Clemens Kammerer and Salvatore Bello, Ser. No. 181,380, filed Mar. 21, 1962, now Patent No. 3,190,067, and entitled, Expansible Bracelet Linkage, which application is assigned to the assignee of the instant application.

Since bracelets of the type under discussion must, for best results, be more or less accurately fitted to the wrist of the wearer, and since the wrists of individual users vary widely in circumference, the problem of providing a bracelet which will fit the wrist of a particular prospective purchaser is a troublesome one, and has required sellers of such items, usually retail jewelry stores, to carry a large inventory of bracelets in various sizes for each style. In order to ameliorate this problem, attempts have been made to devise structure in which the individual link assemblies of which the bracelet is made, or at least some of them, are readily removable from the completed bracelet chain, so that the retail jeweler can, at the point of sale, fit a given bracelet to the wrist of the person who wishes to purchase that bracelet. It is important, when this detachability function is desired, that detachment and attachment of individual link assemblies be readily accomplished by relatively unskilled sales personnel in a non-destructive manner. It is further requisite that the detachable link assemblies not detract from the overall uniform appearance of the bracelet. It is further highly desirable, in the case of expansible bracelets, that the detachable link assemblies not detract appreciably from the expansibility of the bracelet, for otherwise they interfere with the ready placement of the watch-bracelet combination on the wrist, or the removal thereof from the wrist, of the user. It has provided to be particularly difiicult to achieve such results in connection with bracelets of minimal thickness and in which the individual links are relatively narrow, both of which characteristics are inherent in the bracelet linkage construction shown in the aforementioned pending application Ser. No. 181,380.

Patented Oct. 24, 1967 7 "ice It is the prime object of the present invention to devise a link assembly which may be readily detached from and attached to cooperatingly constructed link assemblies in order to adjust the overall length of an expansible brace let. It is the further prime object of the present invention to achieve these results by means of link assemblies which have a minimal thickness. In accordance with the present invention such link assemblies may either be expansible or non-expansible.

The bracelet of the aforementioned application Ser. No. 18 1,3 comprises a series of link assemblies each formed of an outer member within which two slide members are provided, each slide member being resiliently urged into telscoped position relative to the other member. In accordance with the expansible embodiment of the present invention the detachable link assemblies comprise a similar outer member having but a single slide member extending from one end thereof, resiliently urged into telescoped relation to the outer member, and, like its individual counterpart in the non-detachable linkage assemblies, taking up but half of the length of the outer member when it is fully telescoped. The other half of the outer member of the detachable link assembly is so constructed as to cooperate with that part of the slide member which extends out from the outer member of an adjacent link assembly, the cooperation being such as to provide for ready attachment and detachment. The outwardly extending part of the slide member is specifically shown as carrying a conventional resilient push-pin assembly adapted to be received between the side walls of the outer member of an adjacent assembly, the pin members which normally extend laterally from the push-pin assembly being releasably receivable in apertures formed in those side walls. The outer members of the detachable link assemblies, when viewed from above, may be indistinguishable from the outer members of the conventional non-detachable link assemblies of the bracelet, so that the bracelet produces a uniform appearance. The detachable link assemblies of the present invention provide for expansibility when the bracelet is tensioned. The extent of the expansibility which it provides, even though not as great as that of the non-detachable assemblies with which it may be used, nevertheless contributes significantly to the overall expansibility of the bracelet and prevents the bracelet from being excessively tensioned when the braceletwatch combination is slid over the hand of the user.

In accordance with the non-expansible embodiment of the present invention the detachable link assemblies are similar to those of the expansible embodiment except that the slide member is omitted, and that portion of the expansible embodiment which carries the push-pin assembly is fixed to the remainder of the link assembly. This type of detachable non-expansible link assembly may be used in bracelets composed entirely of non-expansible assemblies or it may be used in a non-expansible section of a braclet including an expansible section. I

The construction is such that all of the parts are simple and readily and inexpensively manufactured and assembled on a mass production basis.

To the accomplishment of the above, and to such other objects as may hereinafter apear, the present invention relates to the construction of detachable link assemblies for use in a bracelet, and to the bracelet produced thereby, as defined in the appended claims and as described in this specification, taken together with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a section of a bracelet containing the detachable link assemblies of the present invention of the expansible embodiment, as well as nondetachable expansible link assemblies, the bracelet being shown in contracted condition;

FIG. 2 is a bottom plan view of the bracelet of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 but with the bracelet expanded;

FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view on an enlarged scale, taken along the line 44 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 4 but showing the bracelet in contracted condition;

FIGS. 6 and 7 are cross sectional views, on an enlarged scale, taken along the lines 66 and '7-7 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 8 is a cross sectional view taken along the line 8-8 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 9 is a cross sectional view taken along the line 9-9 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 10 is a three-quarter perspective exploded view of parts of an expansible detachable link assembly, the spring element being omitted therefrom;

FIG. 11 is a bottom plan view of a non-expansible bracelet section formed of non-expansible detachable link assemblies made according to the present invention;

FIG. 12 is a cross sectional view on an enlarged scale taken along the line 1212 of FIG. 11;

FIG. 13 is a cross sectional view taken along the line 13-13 of FIG. 12; and

FIG. 14 is a three-quarter perspective expoded view of parts of the non-expansible detachable link assembly, the spring element being shown in place therein.

FIGS. 1-10 illustrate an embodiment of the present invention in which the detachable links are themselves expansihle. The bracelet as there disclosed may be formed of a plurality of non-detachable link assemblies generally designated 2 of the type shown in aforementioned application Ser. No. 181,380, the end link assemblies 2:: and 2b of opposite sections of the bracelet being specially constructed so as to cooperate with the expansible detachable link assemblies of the present invention, which are generally designated 4.

' The link assemblies 2 may comprise outer members generally designated 5 formed of an ornamental top shell 6 and a bottom element 8 secured together in any appropriate manner, as having tabs 10 of the top shell 6 bent around side portions of the bottom element 8. Slide members 12 extend between adjacent outer members 5 and are telescopingly urged thereinto by leaf springs 14 received within the outer members 5, each slide member 12 normally being telescoped into an outer member 5 for substantially half the length thereof (the term length as here used refers to the axial direction of the completed bracelet), the outer members 5 engaging one another when the bracelet is in this resiliently contracted condition.

The expansible embodiments of the detachable link assemblies 4, as here disclosed, comprise an outer member generally designated 16 and a slide member generally designated 18. The outer member 16 is formed of a top element and a bottom element 22. Generically, the top element 20 may be considered an upper member and the slide member 18 and the bottom element 22 may be collectively considered as a lower member. The top element 20 is, in its upper part, substantially identical with the upper part of the top shell 6 of the non-detachable links 2 and has a top wall 21 and depending side walls 24, with tabs 26 extending downwardly from the side walls 24 at one end thereof. Apertures 28 are formed in the side walls 24 at the other end thereof. The bottom element 22 is provided with a bottom wall 30 having a width substantially equal to that of the top wall 21 of the top element 20 but having a length, in the axial direction of the bracelet, only approximately one-half that of the top element 20'. Flanges 32 extend up from the front and rear ends of the bottom wall 30, and side walls 34 extend up therefrom at the sides thereof, are provided with reversely bent areas 36, and with upper side wall extensions 38 the length of which is substantially the same as the length of the side walls 24 of the top element 20, the side wall extensions 38 being provided with apertures 40 adapted to register with the apertures 28 in the side walls 24 when the side walls 24 and 38 extend alongside one another. The top element 20 and bottom element 22 are secured to one another by bending the tabs 26 on the top element 20 around the outside of the reversely bent portions 36 of the bottom element 22. When the outer member 16 is thus assembled its appearance, from the top, is the same as that of the non-detachable link assemblies 2. Since the bottom wall 30 of the bottom member 22 extends under the top element 20 for only onehalf the length of the latter, an open ended recesses is defined beneath the top element 20 at the end thereof opposite from that which the bottom element bottom wall 30 occupies, the apertures 28 and 40 communicating with that recess.

The slide member 18 of the detachable link assembly comprises a body part 42 which is received in the space between the bottom wall 30 of the bottom element 22 and the top wall 21 of the top element 20, that body part 42 being raised at its sides 44 so as to slide on the top of the reversely bent portions 36. The inner end of the body part 42 is provided with upstanding flanges 46, a leaf spring 14 being engaged between the flanges 36 and the end wall 48 of the top element 20, thereby to urge the slide member 18 resiliently into telescoped condition relative to the outer member 16, the body part 42 of the slide member 18 sliding through aperture 50' defined between the lower edge of the end wall 48 and the upper edge of the flange 32. The part 52 of the slide member 18 which extends out beyond the outer member 16 is provided at its end with a tubular portion 54 having a width somewhat less than the lateral distance between the side wall pairs 24, 38, of the outer member 16.

Carried in that tubular portion 54 is a releasable connecting means, here shown in the form of a resilient pushpin assembly generally designated 56 (see FIG. 6). That assembly may comprise a housing 58 within which pins 60 are slidable, those pins having members 64 which normally extend out laterally therefrom and which are urged to this outer position by means of compression spring 66 contained within the housing 58. The pin members 64 are of a size such as to enter the registering aper tures 28 and 40 in the side walls 24 and 38 respectively.

The end link assembly 2a at the right hand end of the left hand section of the bracelet is similar to the link assemblies 2 which constitute the remainder of that bracelet section, except that its right hand slide member 12a corresponds to the slide member 18 of the detachable link assemblies 4. The link assembly 2b at the left hand end of the right hand section of the bracelet is similar to the detachable link assemblies 4, except that its slide member, extending out from the right hand end thereof, corresponds to the slide member lz of the conventional link assemblies 2. Thus the link assemblies 211 and 2b are permanently attached to the bracelet sections of which they are a part, and are detachably connectable to one another to one or more intervening detachable link assemblies 4.

As shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, the assembled bracelet may include two detachable link assemblies 4, this being shown purely by way of example. The outwardly extending end of the slide member 12a of the link assembly 2a is received in the recess between the side wall pairs 24, 38 of the left hand detachable link assembly 4, the pin members 64 of the resilient push-pin assembly 56 carried by the slide member 12a being received in the apertures 28 and 40 of those side wall pairs. The outwardly extending part 52 of the slide member 18 of the left hand detachable link assembly 4 is similarly received between and secured to the side wall pairs 24, 38 of the right hand detachable link assembly 4. The slide member 18 of that right hand detachable link assembly 4 is similarly received between and detachably secured to the side wall pairs 24, 38 of the link assembly 2b forming a part of the right hand bracelet section.

If it is desired to shorten the bracelet the pin members 64 of a given detachable link assembly 4 are forced inwardly against the action of the spring 66, thus disengaging the slide member 18 (or 12a) which carries them from the adjacent link assembly and permitting separation of the two link assemblies. The same operation is performed at the other end of said given detachable link assembly 4 (or a connected chain of such assemblies 4), thus permitting that assembly (or chain of assemblies) to be completely removed from the bracelet, thereby shortening the bracelet. Once a single detachment has been accomplished, additional detachable link assembles 4 may be inserted into the bracelet if desired to increase its length. Insertion of additional link assemblies 4 or reattachment of free ends of assemblies 4, 2a or 2b, as the case may be, is accomplished by moving the outer part 52 of a given slide member 18 or 12a into the recess between the side wall pairs 24, 38 of an adjacent link assembly while the pin members 64 are telescoped into the housing 58, and then permitting those pin members 64 to extend outwardly into the apertures 28 and 40.

As may be seen from a comparison of FIGS. 2 and 3, the detachable link assemblies 4 are resiliently expansible, but only to approximately one-half the degree of the other link assemblies 2, by reason of the fact that the detachable link assemblies 4 contain but a single slide member 18, whereas the other link assemblies 2 contain a pair of slide assemblies 12. By providing detachable link assemblies 4 which have an appreciable degree of resilient expansibility, the overall expansion of the bracelet linkage is maximized, consistent with the detachability feature. The construction employed is reliable, is readily manipulated for detaching and attaching purposes without requiring special tools or the bending or destruction of any structural parts, and does not take up any additional space, particularly with regard to thickness. It permits the use of structures which, when viewed from above, may be indistinguishable in appearance from the other link assemblies of which the bracelet is made, thus giving rise to a highly desirable uniform appearance of the bracelet.

The non-expansible detachable link assemblies of the present invention are shown in FIGS. 11-14. They comprise an upper member 20' and a lower member 22. The upper member 20 is, in upper part, substantially identical with the upper parts of the top shells 6 of the top shells of the remainder of the bracelet such as those designated 6 in FIG. 1. It has a top Wall 21' and depending side walls 24', with tabs 26' extending downwardly from the side walls 24 at one end thereof. Apertures 28' are formed in the side walls 24' at the other end thereof. The lower member 22' is provided with a bottom wall 30 having a width substantially equal to that of the top wall 21' of the upper member 29 but having a length, in the axial length of the bracelet, only approximately one-half that of the upper member 26. Side walls 34 extend up from the bottom wall 30' at the sides thereof, and are provided with apertures 49' adapted to register with the apertures 28' in the side walls 24' when the side walls 24 and 34' extend alongside one another. The upper member 20' and lower element 22 are secured to one another by bending the tabs 26' on the upper member 20' beneath the bottom wall 30 of the lower member 22, those portions 30a of the bottom wall 30' beneath which the tabs 26 are adapted to be received being raised slightly above the level of the bottom wall proper 30' in order to accommodate those tabs 26'.

Since the bottom wall 30 of the lower member 22' has a length, in the axial direction of the bracelet, which is only approximately one-half the length of the upper member top Wall 21', and therefore extends under the latter for only one-half the length of the latter, an open ended recess is defined beneath the upper member 20 at the end thereof opposite from that which the lower member bottom wall 30' occupies, the apertures 28 and 40' communicating with that recess.

Formed integrally with the lower member 22' at the end thereof occupied by the bottom wall 30', is a tubular portion 54 which extends out beyond the upper member 20' and which has a width somewhat less than the lateral distance between the side wall pairs 24', 34'. Carried in that tubular portion 54' is a releasable connecting means similar to that disclosed in connection with the expansible embodiment of the present invention described above, but in which the housing 58 as there disclosed is omitted. More specifically, said releasable connecting means comprises a resilient push-pin assembly generally designated 56 and comprising pins 60' slidably received in the tubular portion 54, those pins having members 64 which normally extend out laterally beyond the tubular portion 54' and which are urged to this outer position by means of compression spring 66 received Within the tubular portion 54 between the pins 60'. End portions 101) of the tubular portion 54 are bent upwardly so as to retain the pin 60' within the tubular portion 54' and define positive stops for the outward movement of the pin 69 as they are urged by the compression spring 66'. The pin members 64 are of such a size as to enter the registering apertures 28 and 40' in the side walls 24' and 34' respectively.

The manner of connection and disconnection of the non-expansible link assemblies is essentially the same as that described above in connection with the expansible embodiments of the present invention.

In both the expansible and non-expansible embodiments, it will be noted that the tubular members 54 and 54' are received within and functionally cooperate with adjacent link assemblies without requiring any increase in the height of such link assemblies and without requiring any increase in the length of such link assemblies, in the axial length of the bracelet, over and above that called for in connection with the non-detachable links of the bracelet. Moreover, these results are achieved by means of a construction which is readily manufactured on a production line basis and which is exceptionally economical, particularly with regard to the use of material.

While but a limited number of embodiments of the present invention are here specifically disclosed, it will be apparent that many variations may be made therein, all within the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. A link assembly adapted to be detachably included in a linkage comprising a plurality of serially connected substantially similar assemblies, said assembly comprising an upper member, a second and lower member located beneath said upper member, and means securing said members to one another in that position, said upper member having a top wall of a given length and width and having depending side walls, said lower member having a bottom wall of susbtantially the same width and of approximately half the length of said top wall of said upper member, said bottom wall of said lower member underlying said top wall of said upper member at one end of said upper member, said link assembly having a recess therein at the other end thereof which is open at said other end and is flanked by said side walls of said upper member, said upper member side walls at said recess having apertures therein, said lower member having a first part extending out beyond said one end of said upper member which is receivable in said recess at said other end of an adjacent link assembly via the open end of said recess and carrying a connecting means releasably engageable in said apertures in said side walls of said upper member of said adjacent assembly.

2. The link assembly of claim 1, in which said lower member has side walls which lie alongside the side walls of said upper member at said recess and which are provided with apertures registering with the apertures in said side walls of said upper member, said connecting means being releasably engageable in said apertures in said side walls of said lower member.

3. The link assembly of claim 2, in which said connecting means comprises a resilient push-pin assembly having pin members normally extending laterally therefrom and receivable in said apertures.

4. The link assembly of claim 1, in which said connecting means comprises a resilient push-pin assembly having pin members normally extending laterally therefrom and receivable in said apertures.

5. The link assembly of claim 1, in which said lower member bottom wall is slidably secured to said upper member for lengthwise movement, and resilient means operative between said members to urge said lower member into telescoped position relative to said upper member.

6. A link assembly adapted to be detachably included in a linkage comprising a plurality of serially connected substantially similar assemblies, said assembly comprising an upper member, a second and lower member located beneath said upper member, and means securing said members to one another in that position, said upper member having a top wall of a given length and width and having depending side walls, said lower member having a bottom wall of substantially the same width and of approximately half the length of said top wall of said upper member, said bottom wall of said lower member underlying said top wall of said upper member at one end of said upper member, said link assembly having a recess therein at the other end thereof which is open at said other end and is flanked by said side walls of said upper member, said upper member side walls at said recess having apertures therein, said lower member having a first part extending out beyond said one end of said upper member which is receivable in said recess at said other end of an adjacent link assembly via the open end of said recess and carrying a connecting means releasably engageable in said apertures in said side walls of said upper member of said adjacent assembly, said first part of said lower member having a length of approximately half the length of said upper member top wall and being receivable in said adjacent link assembly beneath that portion of the top wall of the upper member thereof which is out of registration with the bottom wall of the lower member thereof.

7. The link assembly of claim 6, in which said lower member has side walls which lie alongside the side walls of said upper member at said recess and which are provided with apertures registering with the apertures in said side walls of said upper member, said connecting means being releasably engageable in said apertures in said side Walls of said lower member.

8. The link assembly of claim 7, in which said connecting means comprises a resilient push-pin assembly having pin members normally extending laterally therefrom and receivable in said apertures.

9. The link assembly of claim 5, in which said connecting means comprises a resilient push-pin assembly having pin members normally extending laterally therefrom and receivable in said apertures.

10. The link assembly of claim 6, in which said lower member bottom wall is slidably secured to said upper member for lengthwise movement, and resilient means operative between said members to urge said lower member into telescoped position relative to said upper member.

11. A detachable link assembly comprising an outer member which comprises a top element and a bottom element secured to one another, said top element having a top wall of a given length and width and having depending side walls, said bottom element having a bottom wall of substantially the same width and of approximately half the length of said top wall of said top element, said bottom wall of said solution element underlying said top element at one end of said top element, said link assembly having a recess therein at the other end thereof which is open at said other end and is flanked by said side walls of said top element, said top element side walls at said recess having apertures therethrough, a slide member having a first part extending out beyond said one end of said top element and a second part slidable between said top and bottom elements, said first part of said slide member being receivable in said recess at said other end of an outer member of an adjacent link assembly via the open end of said recess and carrying a connecting means releasably engageable in said apertures in said side walls, and resilient means active between said outer member and said slide member and effective to urge said slide member into said outer member, said bottom element having side walls which lie alongside the side walls of said top element at said recess and which are provided with apertures registering with the apertures in said side walls of said top element, said connecting means being releasably engageable in said apertures in said side walls of said bottom element.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,629,976 5/1927 Smith 59-79 1,636,639 7/1927 Jones 5979 1,644,487 10/1927 Person 59-79 2,472,314 6/ 1949 Pretre 59-79 3,190,067 6/ 1965 Kammerer 5979 CHARLES W. LANHAM, Primary Examiner. 

1. A LINK ASSEMBLY ADAPTED TO BE DETACHABLY INCLUDED IN A LINKAGE COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF SERIALLY CONNECTED SUBSTANTIALLY SIMILAR ASSEMBLIES, SAID ASSEMBLY COMPRISING AN UPPER MEMBER, A SECOND AND LOWER MEMBER LOCATED BENEATH SAID UPPER MEMBER, AND MEANS SECURING SAID MEMBERS TO ONE ANOTHER IN THAT POSITION, SAID UPPER MEMBER HAVING A TOP WALL OF A GIVEN LENGTH AND WIDTH AND HAVING DEPENDING SIDE WALLS, SAID LOWER MEMBER HAVING A BOTTOM WALL OF SUBSTANTIALLY THE SAME WIDTH AND OF APPROXIMATELY HALF THE LENGTH OF SAID TOP WALL OF SAID UPPER MEMBER, SAID BOTTOM WALL OF SAID LOWER MEMBER UNDERLYING SAID TOP WALL OF SAID UPPER MEMBER AT ONE END OF SAID UPPER MEMBER, SAID LINK ASSEMBLY HAVBING A RECESS 